128 Europe and Central Asia Summary of Amnesty International’s Concerns in the Region, January – June 2007 Conscientious objectors Violence against women Bayram Ashirgeldiev and Nuryagdy Gairov were detained on 14 June. They were charged with “evasion of call-up to military service” (Article 219, part 1 of the Criminal Code). The two young Jehovah’s Witnesses were held incommunicado and their relatives were not informed where they were held. AI adopted them as prisoners of conscience as they were detained solely to punish them for refusing on religious grounds to serve in the army. In February the Ukrainian parliament held the first discussion of a new draft law “On amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine (concerning improving the legislation of Ukraine to counteract violence in a family)”, and recommended that further changes should be made to the draft law. They also proposed amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Violence in the Family and other relevant articles of the Administrative Code, which were broadly in line with the recommendations made by AI in a briefing on domestic violence in Ukraine (see Ukraine: Domestic Violence – Blaming the Victim AI Index: EUR 50/005/2006). However, AI was concerned that proposals did not go far enough to ensure that adequate short-term and longterm alternative housing would be made available to victims of domestic violence. Nuryagdy Gairov had previously served a prison sentence to punish him for his conscientious objection to military service. AI had adopted him as a prisoner of conscience and campaigned for his release (see AI index: EUR 61/007/2000). In Turkmenistan there is no civilian alternative for young men whose conscientiously-held beliefs preclude them from carrying out compulsory military service, and those who refuse conscription face imprisonment under criminal law. AI considers a conscientious objector to be any person liable to conscription for military service who refuses to perform armed service for reasons of conscience or profound conviction. Their profound conviction may arise from religious, ethical, moral, humanitarian, philosophical, political or similar motives. But regardless of the conscientious base to their objection, the right of such individuals to refuse to carry weapons or to participate in wars or armed conflicts should be guaranteed. AI does not question the right of governments to conscript individuals into the armed forces, nor does it agree or disagree with the motives of individual conscientious objectors, but it urges governments to give all those liable to conscription the opportunity to perform an alternative to armed service on the grounds of their conscience or profound conviction. In March, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted the National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Programme covering the period up to 2010. According to the anti-trafficking nongovernmental organization, La Strada, Ukraine, the Programme did not provide sufficient indicators to measure its effectiveness and was not provided with enough funding. The US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report published in June highlighted the “failure of Ukraine to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons over the last year, particularly in the area of punishing convicted traffickers.” According to the report many traffickers received probation rather than prison sentences; there was concern that government officials were involved in trafficking, and that victims were not provided with sufficient protection and rehabilitation services, including witness protection. International Scrutiny of Torture and Ill-treatment UKRAINE Amnesty International In May, the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) considered Ukraine’s fifth periodic AI Index: EUR 01/010/2007